orowson



(No Model.) 3Sheets-Sheet 1.

W.-.L. GROWSON. Combinedflleaner andv Feeder for Gotten Gills. N0.237,255.

Patented Feb. 1, I881.

(No Model.) 7 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W L OROWSON Combined Cleaner and Feeder for Cotton Gins. No. 237,255.

Patented Feb. 1, 1881..

N PETERS. {ROTC-l YHOGRAP (NoModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3-.

w. L. c owsoN. Combined Cleaner and Feeder for-Cotton Gins. 1N0.237,255. .Patented' Feb. 1,1881.

H.PETERS, PHDTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C

UNITED. STATES P TENT twice.

WILLIAM L. CROWSON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

COMBINED CLEANER AND FEEDER FOR COTTON-GINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 237,255, dated February1, 1881.

Application filed July 6, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be itknown that 1, WILLIAM L. (JRowsoN, ofthe cityof St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented acertainnew and useful Improvement in Combined Cleaner and Feeder forCotton-Grins, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification.

This invention is an improvement on the invention described and claimedin Letters Pat ent No. 202,238, granted to me April 9, 1878.

My present improvement relates, first, to the feed rack; secondly, tothe feed cylinder; thirdly, to the stopping mechanism; and, fourthly, tothe laterally-flanged roller taking the cottonfrom the last beater.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a view of the feed-rake in elevation.Fig. 4 is a side view of the stop mechanism. Fig. 5 is an edge view ofthe arm connecting the shaft and transverse bar on which the oscillatingrake is supported. Fig. 6 is a side view of the same. Fig. 7 is across-section of the oscillating rake, and Fig. 8 is a detail section ofthe feed-roll. Figs. 3 to 8, inclusive, are on larger scale than Figs. 1and 2.

The case and frame are shown at A A, &c. B is the cotton-box. The bottomof the cotton-box consists of an endless apron, B, supported ondrive-roll O, stretched roll G, and idle-rolls 0 At the front end of thecottonbox is the feed-roll D, with round teeth cl pro- 3 5 jectingradially from. the surface of the roll.

It is believed that all teeth used on cottonfeed rolls before my adoption of this form have been'curved either forward or backward,generally the former, and pointed. Where the teeth are made to curveforward they take too firm a gripe of the cotton and hold it with toogreat tenacity, and in consequence of this the feed-roller is liable tocarry up bunches of cotton and to carry cotton around with it, failing.

to discharge it at the proper point. The forwardly-curved and pointedteeth are also liable to become loaded with husks impaled upon them. Thebackwardly-curved teeth,on the other hand, fail to take the requisitehold upon the cotton. The straight teeth take up the cotton in smallquantities, and for this reason (No model.)

the roller can be run at higher speed. Thus the cotton is lightened upand the bunches picked to pieces by the feed-roller.

E is afixed transverse bar in close proximity to the ends of the teethd, over which the cotton passes as it leaves the feed-roller.

F is an inclined adjustable rack hinged to the bar E, and adjusted ininclination by means of slotted arms f, through which pass screwstuds f,with a set-nut, f The rack can be inclined more orless, according to thequality of the cotton, being placed in such position that the cotton iscarried over the bar G, and the foreign substances of greater weightthan the cotton drop between the bars of the rack and enter thetrash-chamber H, beneath the feed- From the bar G the cotton falls uponthe beater J, whose arms j pass beneath pins 9, projecting downwardlyfrom the bar G. From the beater J the cotton falls upon another beater,K. The inner sides of the beater-cases consist of wire-work L, throughwhich escape dust, &c., being drawn through and conveyed away throughthe flue M by the fan I. The cotton is taken from the last beater, K, bya roller, N, having longitudinal bars or flanges n upon its surface tocarry the cotton outward from the beater and work it against thewirework concave O, to expel any remaining dust. From the flanged rollerN the cotton may drop directly into the cotton-box of a gin.

I will now describe the oscillating rake. The head of the rake consistsof upright oscillating bars 1?, with horizontal connecting-bars Prunning transversely to the machine. The upright bars I? are slotted, asshown at p, to allow the passage of the bar Q, which forms the axis ofoscillation. The bar Q is supported at the end upon arms R, which havebearings upon the axial portions 8 of the crank-shaft S, whoserevolution gives motion to the rake. The crank-portion s of the shaftpasses through the uprights P of the rake-head, so that the revolutionof the crank gives to the lower ends ,of the uprights a revolutionarymotion of IOC construction and operation is such that the teeth 19 intheir revolution descend near to the feed-roller, and move downwardlyand backwardly therefrom in the revolutions, carrying back any surpluscotton. The continued revolution carries the teeth upward and backward,releasing the cotton from the teeth, and in the upper semi-revolutionthe teeth are carried back to the place of beginning, ready to againthrow back any surplus amount of cotton.

It will be seen that the higher the rake may be the more cotton willpass beneath it, and vice versa.

To regulate the height of the rake, I connect to thehubs 1" of the armsR upon each side of the machine a bar or rod, T, whose lower ends areconnected to arms U upon a shaft, V. The shaft V carries an arm, W, atwhose end is a screw-threaded stud, to, working in the slot as of thebracket X. Upon the end of the stud screws a hand-nut, w. Thearrangement is such that as lever-arm W is lowered the rake is raised,and vice versa. The lever isheld in position by the hand nut to, whichbears against the outer side of the bracket X.

The rod Q and shaft S S have movement under vertical adjustment inguide-slots Y and Y, respectively, in plates Z.

The machine is driven by a pulley on the shaft 1 of the fan I. Thisshaft I carries two pulleys, whose position is shown at 1 K is a beltruning from one of the pulleys at 1 around the two beater-pulleys K andL.

The shaft of beater J carries at each end pulleys connected bycross-belts (one of which is shown at K passing around pulleys upon theshaft N of the flanged roller N. One of these pulleys is shown at N At 1the shaft 1 carries a small pulley, connected by a belt, a, with apulley, 1), upon a short shaft, 0, carrying a small friction-wheel, 6.This friction-wheel engages a friction-wheel, D upon the shaft D of thefeed-roll D. The shaft D of the feed-roller carries a pulley connected,by a belt, S with a pulley, S upon the crank-shaft S. The short shaft 0has bearing upon the arm h, pivoted to the case at 4., so as to allowthe friction-wheel e to be brought in contact with the wheel D or to bemoved out of contact therewith. The arm is connected to a screw-rod, is,passing through a bracket, 1. m, and a hand-nut, t.

the bracketis aspiral spring, a, surrounding the n rod, and tending, bypressure against the nut m, to establish the frictional contact of thewheels 6 and D The hand-nut it bears against the outer side of thebracket 1, and' may be turned on the rod to draw the friction-wheel eout of contact with wheel D '0 is a guide-stud passing through a slot inthe end of arm h.

g is a bell-crank lever, whose toe y bears against the upper end of thearm h in such a manner that the depression of the long arm of the leverwill force the arm outward and carry the friction-wheel 6 out of contactwith the friction-wheel D and thus stop the feed-roll and the rake andany parts receiving motion therefrom. The beaters,fan, and flangedroller N would continue to rotate and clear out the cotton and dustafter the friction device hecame disengaged.

1 claim as my invention- 1. The combination of the rake P P, supportedon adjustable:v bar Q and adjustable crank-shaft S substantially as setforth.

2. The combination of rake P P, adjustable bar Q, and shaft S, connectedtogether and to adj usting device T UV W X to 10, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of feed-apron B, feed roller or drum D, and rake P P,having an oscillatory movement, and the lower edge or teeth having arevolving movement, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The stopping mechanism consisting of the arm h, friction-wheels c andD screw-rod k, spiral spring a, and lever 1, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the clearing-cylinder N for cottoncleaners, havinglongitudinal flanges n projecting from the surface, and the beater K,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination, with the ribbed roller N, of the trash-chamber H,air-passage H, beater or heaters J K, wire-work L and O, fines M, andfan I, as set forth.

WILLIAM L. OROWSON.

Witnesses SAML. KNIGHT, GEo. H. KNIGHT.

